The Parish Visitor
The First
July 2008
Dear Friends,
At the beginning of June, the annual gathering of the
Reformed Church in America met in Holland, Michigan, on the campus of Hope
College and Western Seminary. One topic of discussion was, “What does it look
like to be both Reformed and Missional?”
As conversations started, it became evident that we
are not always clear on what it means to be Reformed. As I shared in worship
one Sunday, here are five guidelines that author Rodger Nishioka says we should
consider when determining if our worship and resources reflect a Reformed
perspective.
1. The sovereignty of God. God is God and there is no
other. We worship and serve a
Trinitarian God, who is transcendent – with us now- with emphasis on God’s
grace rather than God’s judgment.
2. We are formed and always being reformed by
Scripture. The Bible holds the authority of Christ. We are not literalists; we
take Scripture in context. The Bible is the living Word of God with fresh
revelations given to us through the Holy Spirit. There is evil in the world,
but we are less inclined to give credit to the person of Satan, and more
inclined to say that evil is evidence of our need for God’s grace.
3. Faith is a response to God’s grace. Obedience is a
response to God’s grace, not an attempt to earn God’s grace. The decision to
follow Christ’s ways is a key step in the journey of faith.
4. The church is a holy community. God calls us both
personally and corporately. We need each other to help discern God’s will. The local
church connects with the whole church and the wider community, acting both
locally and globally.
5. We engage our minds and wills for God’s glory. All
are invited to think critically about their faith and the living out of their
faith, with a balance in both thinking and feeling questions and activities.
There is freedom to question and a challenge to avoid stereotypes.
So, how do we look? How do you look? Are we living
lives that are reformed and always being reformed according to the Word of God?
Read Romans 12:1-2
Summer blessings and peace,
JULY
CALENDAR
|
6/30 - 7/5 |
Calvin’s Cleaners Team 5 |
15 |
Consistory 7:15 |
|
1 |
Bible Study 7:30 pm |
16 |
Bible Study 10 am Book Study 7:15 pm |
|
2 |
Bible Study 10 am Book Study 7:15 pm |
20 |
Worship 10 am |
|
4 |
Independence Day - Office closed |
7/21-7/26 |
Calvin’s Cleaners Team 3 |
|
6 |
Worship 10 am
Communion |
23 |
Bible Study 10 am Book Study 7:15 pm |
|
7/7 - 7/12 |
Calvin’s Cleaners Team 1 |
25 |
Deadline for August Parish Visitor |
|
8 |
Bible Study 7:30 pm |
27 |
Worship 10 am |
|
9 |
Bible Study 10 am Crafts at Dorrie Hansen’s
House 10 am* Book Study 7:15 pm |
7/28 - 8/2 |
Calvin’s Cleaners Team 4 |
|
13 |
Worship 10 am |
30 |
Bible Study 10 am Book Study 7:15 pm |
|
7/14 - 7/19 |
Calvin’s Cleaners Team 2 |
|
|
* See this Parish Visitor for more information
CALVIN’S CLEANERS
Team 1 – Jay Wright Team
4 – Linda Baron
Team 2 - Worship and Music Committee Team 5 – MaryLou Aronow
Team 3 – Tom Schmidt Balance
Team – Dan Byers
Women of the Church
There will be no meeting in July.
However, the Craft Group will meet at Dorrie Hansen’s house on Wednesday,
July 9, at 10 am. Please bring an
apron as the project may be messy. A
light lunch will be served.
Coffee Hour Hosts
For July and
August 2008:
Please
note that the first name listed each Sunday should contact the other hosts
regarding food share and as a reminder of the date. If you are not available on
the assigned date, it is your responsibility to find a substitute or trade
dates, put the change on the list in the Education Building, and advise the
office for the Sunday bulletin. You may
notice that you are being asked to serve at coffee hour more often. With the wonderful attendance each Sunday, we
are putting four families on board instead of three. Thank you to everyone for
being so gracious.
When
it is your turn to bring food, you make the decision whether it is something
elaborate or simple, store
bought or homemade. Just make sure you speak to the head host first to
avoid duplication.
July August
6 Baron,
Corwin, Campbell, Schallenberg 3 Landanno, Moffitt,
Silverstein, Hoffman
13 Strawberry Shortcake 10
Ice Cream Social
20 Michaelis, Potter, Aronow, Hughes 17 Chao, Lane, Gundersen, Kyzer
27 Sanders, Byers, Nolting, Rudberg 24 Supan, Van
Nostrand, Saya Purifoy
31 Badowski, Twohig, Binder, Flayter
Above is the building which houses My Brothers’ Table in St. Croix, the food pantry and soup kitchen directed by Rev. Rod Koopmans. Half of our Thanksgiving offering in 2007 went to assist in this worthy and much-needed program. The photo was taken by Dave and Liz Alexander on their recent trip to the Virgin Islands.
We have also received a Thank You letter from Sea to Sea – Ending the Cycle of Poverty for our Easter gift of $883.50 for Rev. JoAnn Tipple’s bicycle ride.
Conversations from General Synod, June 5 – 10, 2008,
Holland, Michigan
For
me, General Synod was an opportunity to experience the breath, depth and
richness of the Reformed Church in America.
Elders, pastors, missionaries, seminary professors and church staff, all
with varying worship styles, thoughts, and ideas, gathered to worship, listen
to each other, and make decisions about how the church can best order its
life. As we sought God’s guidance, with
sisters and brothers across the USA and Canada lifting us up in prayer, I was
truly aware of being in the presence of the Spirit.
The RCA is at the mid-point of Our Call,
adopted in 2003, which focuses on five areas: Starting New Churches,
Revitalization of Congregations, Mission, Discipleship, and Leadership. The two major topics discussed at General
Synod this year came out of Our Call: (1) our commitment to become an
inclusive, multiracial church, and (2) our understanding of what it means to be
both Reformed and Missional. Each member
of General Synod was assigned to one of twenty advisory committees to discuss
these topics. Below is a brief summary
of the committees’ work.
Discussion on inclusive, multiracial churches
prompted us to think about our experiences with people of different racial
backgrounds, to reflect on how scripture, the Heidelberg Catechism and our
provisionally adopted Belhar Confession direct our Christian living, and lastly
to talk about activities we are doing or might consider doing in our own
congregations and community that would help free us from racism. People from communities with little racial
diversity were challenged and everyone was reminded that Sunday morning worship
is the most segregated hour in North America.
Recommendations approved by General Synod instruct us to (1) further study and evaluate our policies and practices, (2) add a sixth dimension to Our Call, “A Multiracial Future Freed from Racism”, (3) revise the annual consistorial report incorporating questions accounting for how each church reflects the racial and cultural context of its neighborhood, and what each church is doing to build bridges, (4) instruct the General Synod Council to increase the participation of people from racial and ethnic backgrounds other than the majority in the life of the General Synod, especially at the executive staff levels, and (5) develop a plan for greater inclusion of women at all levels of staffing within the RCA. Women make up 63% of the RCA membership, but this is still not reflected in our leadership.
The discussion on being both Reformed and
missional did not focus on specific recommendations. First we asked, “What does
it mean to be Reformed?” The range of
views ran from having a clear understanding of what “being Reformed” means in a
theological, behavioral, and structural sense to others having no vocabulary to
explain what it means to “be Reformed,” and still others who see denominational
labels as unhelpful, unhealthy and irrelevant, wanting instead to simply
emphasize “being Christian”. Next we
asked, “What does it mean to be Missional?”
Simply put, our understanding of missional means “sending, going, and
being,” a strong, clear witness with people empowered to be agents of change,
transforming communities and the world. Being missional requires discernment:
where is God working, how is God moving, what is God doing, and what does God
want us to do? Being missional calls us
to take risks. Lastly, we discussed what it means to be both Reformed and
missional? Many see a strong and obvious
link between being Reformed and being missional. It is part of our history to be people who
transform our communities and use our liturgy, theology and discipleship as
tools that form us into being missional. This can be lived out in three
dimensions: (1) a strong and compelling witness,
(2) caring for our neighborhoods and cities, and (3) creating a covenant community
that reaches out to the next generation.
Yet there are others who see no such link. Some even questioned whether being liturgical
prevents us from being missional. Some
see a commitment to missional as a proof of our Reformed theology: to love God
is to love people. At least one group commented that being missional is not an
end in itself, it is an on-going journey.
The same is true for this conversation.
And it needs to continue in our churches.
To that end,
four recommendations were approved by General Synod: First to compile a brief
theological dictionary to provide a common language for continued
conversations. Two recommendations encourage vital conversations at Regional
Synod, classis meetings, and within church leadership. The last urges
congregations to engage in study and celebration of the foundations of our
Christian faith in Sunday worship and in Christian Education opportunities so
our knowledge of Reformed faith and our ability to share it may be enriched.
In my mind one the most important actions
taken during General Synod is a call from our president, John Ornee, to give a
more permanent home or status to the HOPE team. (House of Prayer Equipping) A recommendation was passed to develop a
proposal to be presented to General Synod, 2009, that will ensure the
continuation and funding for the HOPE team and to explore the need and propose
a job description and funding for a denominational minister for prayer. Ornee
said, “We need to keep the emphasis on prayer because it is the underlying
cause for all of our successes as a denomination.” At a time when the denomination is
experiencing church multiplication and revitalization, tough conversations, a changing
face, and anxiety at many levels, this call to prayer will be our refuge and
strength.
My sincere thanks to the Classis of Mid-Hudson for this opportunity to
broaden my knowledge of the RCA and increase my love for the larger church
family.
Respectfully,
Jan Melichar-Utter
In memory of Jane Kenyon
On the ride home from Fishkill Reformed Church
I spotted two wild geese in a meadow.
They were regal with long black necks
and white patches on their cheeks.
Their fuzzy brown chicks stayed close, learning.
Later at my desk, I mulled over how
we humans are so much more
complicated than birds.
My grandson learned from his father
the fine art of
debate and negotiation.
Since he is only nine, it is unknown
what momentous work he will choose.
Yet, there is a more wondrous mystery:
what labor of love will
each of us be called to do
when we stay close to the Spirit who
came upon the disciples as a violent wind
and tongues of fire?
By Ronnie Badowski
Church Family
VBS
AUGUST 4, 6 AND 8,
2008 5:30
TO 8:30
This
year you don’t have to be a kid to come to VBS.
We want everyone to come and experience VBS. You can come with a family, by yourself, or
with friends!! We will need lots of
help. We are going to be building picnic
tables for Faith House (the new women’s shelter in the southern Duchess area).
We will need wood workers and helpers.
We will be providing phones and cards for connecting with the homebound
and maybe some church family we haven’t seen in a while. There will be a light
supper provided. We will have music and
a bible story. Bible study about the
story will be provided if you wish to go to that. Children will be provided with crafts and
games.
SIGN-UP IN
EDUCATION BUILDING ON BULLETIN BOARD ACROSS FROM MAIN DOOR
Questions ?
Contact Jayne Hoffman, Jan Utter, or Bonnie Chao
CONGRATULATIONS, GRADUATES
Kari VanVoorhis, daughter of
Donald and Barbara VanVoorhis and granddaughter of Shirley and the late Charles
VanVoorhis, graduated in January from SUNY Plattsburgh.
Kristi Lane (daughter of Jan
& Phil) graduated from John Jay High School . She will be attending Towson
University near Baltimore in the fall.
Notes from
June
Ø
Pastor Gloria led
devotions from a book of messages for the Indigenous Believers in
Ø
Treasurers Operating Report for March shows revenues totaling $19,095.81
and expenses totaling $22,970.63.
Ø
CCS is painting classrooms 5 &6 and doing a summer cleaning of the
second floor of the Ed building. The Summer Program is July 7-18.
Ø
Joshua Breslauer, from Troop 65, received his Eagle Scout rank on June
22nd.
Ø
Confirmation
Class begins Sunday, July 20th.
Ø
Elders approved
the baptism of Sergio Wesley Rodriquez on August 3rd.
Ø
Paving of the
parking lots will be done by D. Williams Superior Asphalt.
Ø
Next
+ + + + +
Croatia Update
Early Independence Day kicks off summer break By
Nancy Titus
School just got out, and we’ve already celebrated the
Fourth of July. Yep, things work a little differently here in Croatia.
The kids got out of school June 20, and the next day
we went to a U.S. Independence Day picnic put together by the American Chamber
of Commerce in Croatia. Our first big outing in the car was a welcome relief
from all the pressure of school work we have all been doing. The picnic was
held on a ranch outside of Zagreb, our capital city, about a three-hour drive
from our house. Entertainment included a horse show and fireworks, but mostly
we were just thrilled to get to do something fun together as a family.
The great rush of excitement, joy, and relief that the
end of the school year brings is multiplied in our household though in a strict
sense school is not really out at all for any of us.
The daily routine of regular school – and the weekly
shuffle and stress of changing shifts from morning to afternoon – is gone for a
while. However school will continue at home, though on a less pressured
schedule. The kids and I will have Croatian language lessons. Because of the
kids’ great progress in Croatian and their growing friendships with local
children, they will not have daily Croatian lessons but they still need to work
on their language skills while they have less pressure from other school
subjects. That means they will continue to meet regularly with their Croatian
tutor. Their other curriculum is based on the amount they were able to do last
year as well as what we expect they can do in the coming year. The girls will
also have English and American history while Samuel will do math.
A look at the last two weeks of Valerie’s school year
gives a good indication of why the home school material necessarily has to take
a back seat to other school matters during the regular school year. During the
last two weeks of school, Valerie had several days working as many hours as she
possibly could with her tutor, even taking time from the other two children as
she struggled to complete mega math assignments and prepare for a big nature
exam.
In the midst of that, she also had a part in the big
class program, which fourth graders do for parents as they say goodbye to their
teachers who have been with them since the first grade. In Croatian primary
school, the same group of children stays together as a class from first through
eighth grade, and they have the same teacher from first through fourth. Fifth
grade is a big transition in which they switch from the one teacher they have
known so long to about 10 subject-based teachers. At the end-of-the-year
program, Valerie was given a couple of sentences to say in Croatian – even as
her classmates in one of those presentations gave their lines in English.
Despite the pressure and the number of parents watching, Valerie did very well.
Her teacher and a couple of mothers even told me how great she did on her
Croatian pronunciation. So, bravo, Valerie!
Penny also
ended her school year on a nice note, as she came home with a “5,” or an “A,”
on a Croatian language test and a note that her exam was the best in the class!
Samuel,
who switched to complete home schooling in March, also has done well in his
program though he will continue into the summer as he needs to catch up on some
subjects. His challenge is that we are trying to get him back even with his peers
in the States since he had to re-take the fifth grade when he came here due to
the language issue. We want him to be ready for ninth grade by the end of the
next school year, which basically means we have a year and a half to cover two
and half years of material.
Eric also
had reason to celebrate the day the kids ended their regular school year as
that day he also finished his last paper for his second year of doctoral work.
He, too, has summer school, though, as he must prepare for an Old Testament comprehensive,
which he will take in Prague in July, a nice excuse for another family trip!
As for me, I will study Croatian and work with the kids’ summer school as well as prepare for English classes at the seminary next year.
First Reformed Church of Fishkill
1153 Main Street
Fishkill, NY 12524
COME JOIN US FOR OUR 4th Annual
Golf
Tournament
September
22, 2008
McCann
Memorial Golf Course
$120.
per golfer will include golf, cart, goody bag gifts, lunch & Dinner
(Christo’s),prizes for 1st, 2nd, & 3rd
place team finish, longest drive, closest to the pin & hole-in-one prize!
great raffle prizes, too!
You
don’t play golf? then consider a
sponsorship of tee or green signs at $75. each.
(other larger sponsorships also available).
For more
information see Ray VanVoorhis
Proceeds support
frc’s capital projects.